Hadrian Lokison
by SoneaKyraliana
Summary: By chance, the Avengers discover something about Loki that changes their view of him. In the beginning, they thought he was just crazy. Now, they know it was much more than that. They thought they knew everything about Loki's dark past just as well as they knew their, but it seems there was still something they didn't know. One-shot. If continued someday, will be slash.
1. Chapter 1

For now this is just a one-shot. I have no intention of continuing it anytime soon. I just had it written since last year or so and I thought I would publish it as an only chapter as I'm still too busy with my other stories.

I hope you like it and sorry for any mistake, but right now I don't have the time to re-read it. I'll try to do it as soon as possible and I would be grateful if you pointed out anything that you thought was a mistake. Or just anything you liked. I'm not picky :)

As a warning, I have to add that if I continue it sometime in the future, the story will definitely be slash.

Well, enjoy it and thanks for reading.

* * *

July 31st

"Where's Loki?" asked Bruce.

The Avengers were sitting on the common room of the Stark Tower, or as it was known now, the Avengers Tower.

"No idea." said Tony.

"I haven't seen him since this morning. He didn't seem too happy." answered Natasha looking up from where she was reading a file from SHIELD.

"Let's hope he didn't do something stupid and leave the Tower. I can already see Fury's face if he discovers we don't have him constantly monitored." added Clint.

Even though they have discovered that Loki had been controlled when he attacked Midgard and they knew Odin himself had removed the sceptre's presence from the Jötun's mind, Fury still didn't trust him.

"JARVIS, where's the diva?"

"If you mean Loki, sir, he's on the balcony of the upper floor." informed the computer.

"What's he doing there?"

"He is drinking. He seems to be trying to get drunk."

"Get drunk? But my brother never… wait, what day is it?"

"Monday."

"I mean in number." urged the God of Thunder.

"July 31st."

"Shit!"

"Wow, Point Break! No swearing needed!" joked Tony.

However, Thor didn't seem even to hear him. The tall man was headed directly to the lift and the team followed hurriedly.

"Thor, what is it?" asked Steve.

"I did not know it was today. My brother… he is probably already drunk."

"It's hardly midday." protested Bruce.

"It does not matter. Not today."

The moment the doors opened, Thor sprinted out. He was the only one not surprised when they found Loki sitting on the floor surrounded by empty bottles of liquor.

The God of Mischief sat directly at the edge of the balcony with his feet dangling at the void. His gaze was lost on the sea of buildings that was New York City and his face was blank.

"Loki?"

The Jötun turned his head enough to see it was the blonde asgardian who was talking.

"What?"

"Loki, brother, you should stop. Drinking will not help. It will not make you feel better."

"It will help me forget." whispered the god looking down at the street below.

"Brother, please, let us talk inside." said Thor looking a little nervous.

"Why? It's warm out here. And I'm not going to jump down." replied Loki somehow managing to keep his words completely understandable.

"I know, brother, but you are drunk. You could slip and fall. Please, let us talk inside." pleaded the blonde. "Please."

Finally, the God of Magic stood slowly, but tripped and Thor had to catch him.

"Come on." muttered the God of Thunder softly stirring his brother to the door.

Loki tripped at the door again and it was Tony that caught him this time.

"A little early to get drunk, isn't it?"

"Is it ever really early for that?" answered the Jötun.

"No, not really." admitted the genius helping Thor carry him to the lift.

"His room?" suggested Bruce.

"Yes. Sleep will be the best for him." confirmed Steve.

"No. Not sleep. Please, not sleep." pleaded the god.

"As much as I would like to hear all the surely interesting things you would say in your state, I agree with the Captain." half joked Clint trying to lift the mood.

The doors of the elevator opened and they exited at the floor Tony had given Loki at his return from Asgard. The team exited with Thor and Tony still half carrying the other god.

"You have to stop doing this to yourself, brother." said the blonde asgardian when Natasha opened the door to the bedroom. "It was not your fault and you must not punish yourself for it."

Thor lowered his brother on the bed while speaking, but Loki wasn't listening anymore. The Jötun was already half asleep and half buried on memories.

' _Loki was nervously pacing in front of the closed door. The pained cries coming from the other side did nothing to calm his worry._

 _He had been doing the same for about three hours when a different cry was finally heard. A baby's cry._

 _The god stopped pacing immediately and was at the door the instant it opened. A woman was at the other side and bowed at the man._

 _Loki didn't even look at her when he entered the room. In the middle of it, a woman sat on the bed. She looked tired and there was blood around her, but the god only had eyes for the little bundle of blankets on her arms._

 _The man approached the bed slowly, ignoring the servant that was working on his wife, and looked down at the pair. Sigyn looked up at him with a weak smile._

" _It is a boy. You have an heir, Loki." announced his wife showing him the bundle._

 _With shaking hands, the god took the little bundle to cradle it to his chest with the utmost care._

" _I have a son." whispered amazed._

 _Holding his breath, Loki moved the blanket till the face of his new-born son was visible and felt tears gather at his eyes._

 _The god caressed the soft rosy face of the baby as if it were the finest crystal and the silky black lock of hair at the top of his head. Then, the child opened his eyes and the man gasped._

 _Green locked on green and Loki swore his heart skipped a beat. The baby's eyes were a shade of green never before seen on a living being._

" _He is so beautiful, my Lord." said his wife._

" _He is." agreed the man still looking at the baby with awe._

 _The woman smiled and dropped weakly against the headboard of the bed._

" _Sigyn?"_

" _Prince Loki, your wife is still bleeding. You must leave while we heal her." Informed a servant when the other came back with clean water._

" _Why is she still bleeding?" demanded to know._

" _There were complications on the birthing, My Prince."_

 _The god frowned with worry. He knew what that meant. Due to their longevity, asgardians had a very low birth rate and the birthing was always risky. His wife could die._

" _Sigyn…"_

" _Loki, do not worry. Leave. I will be okay." said Sigyn softly._

 _The god knew it was a lie. He had considered her his best friend since he knew her and was able to tell whenever she lied. Both had known what their son's birth could mean to Sigyn._

 _But he obeyed. Placing a kiss at the crown of her head, Loki left her at the care of the healers with his son still gently cradled to his chest._

 _When the door closed at his back, the man looked down at the child on his arms._

 _Seeing those green as emeralds eyes staring at him with innocence, Loki could only think that his little one was the most beautiful thing in all the Realms._

" _Hadrian Lokison. My little prince." whispered Loki. "Everything will be alright. You will always have me to protect you."_

 _Loki leaned down and placed a sweet kiss at the top of his son's head.'_

His wife Sigyn had died the next day and, thought he had mourned the death of his best friend, it had still been one of the best days of his long life.

With memories of happier times, the god finally succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

XXX

Thor and the rest of the team left the room and the asgardian was the first occupying one of the armchairs on the sitting room outside of Loki's bedroom.

"Are you going to explain us what happens to Reindeer Games?" asked Tony.

"And why is it exactly today?" added Clint.

The blonde god sighed and rubbed his forehead with tiredness before nodding.

"Has my brother ever told any of you about… about his son?"

"Son?" repeated all of them with surprise.

"Yes, his son. Hadrian Lokison."

"He's never even hinted at having a wife." muttered Steve.

"She died the day after giving birth to Hadrian." sighed the god. "And today is his birthday."

"Why isn't Loki in Asgard celebrating it, then?" enquired Bruce.

"Because Hadrian is not in Asgard." muttered the man.

"Where's he, then?"

"Nobody knows." Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows and Thor sighed again. "When he was a little over a year, on the 17th of September, Loki's palace was attacked."

"I don't think this story will end well."

"Loki's palace?"

"Yes. When he married Sigyn, our father gave him a part of Asgard to rule over. He lived there, in his own palace, with Sigyn. And later on, with Hadrian. But, then, it was attacked by a group of Frost Giants. They chose a day when most of the guards where engaged in a bigger battle and sited the place. To keep Hadrian safe, my brother had to send him away with a servant. They were supposed to return to the Eternal Realm when everything ended, but they never did. My brother was so enraged… he destroyed the Frost Giants that attacked the palace, but when the servant did not return with his son, Loki fell into a depression. My parents ended having to order him to abandon his duties and return home."

The team was silent for a while, staring unseeingly at the floor, lost in thoughts.

"Thor, how long ago did that happen?"

"Well, Hadrian would be seven today so… nearly six years ago."

"And you don't have any idea of where they went?" asked Natasha.

"The servant received orders of taking Hadrian out of our Realm."

"So they could be on any of the other six Realms." stated Clint.

Thor hesitated for a moment.

"Not exactly. Heimdall was able to follow them with his gaze. The servant was mortally wounded by the time he arrived at the Bifrost to exit Asgard and took Hadrian here, to Midgard. Then both disappeared and Heimdall was unable to locate them again." confessed the blonde.

"Oh." Tony paused for a moment. "Thor, did Hadrian have magic?"

"What? Oh, yeah. He once turned my hair pink accidentally and my brother did not turn it back for a full week." related the god with a fond smile. "My brother was so proud…"

For a second it looked as if Thor himself was going to cry, but then his expression was replaced by one of resignation.

"You miss him." pointed Natasha.

"All my family does."

"Does your brother always do this?" asked Clint.

"On Hadrian's birthday? Yes. He always drinks till he cannot walk straight. Every year that passes is a year of his life that he misses. He just wants to forget that."

"So you think he's still alive?"

"I…" Thor hesitated. "Do not suggest otherwise to my brother."

"That doesn't answer my question." observed Tony.

"He was just a baby. A little over a year." sighed he blonde closing his eyes. "And the woman supposed to take care of him probably died just after getting to this Realm. The only thing that does not make sense is that he disappeared from Heimdall's gaze."

The millionaire just hummed and got up to serve himself a glass of scotch.

XXX

September 17th

"Thor."

"Yes?" asked Thor still gazing unseeingly through the window.

"Where's Loki?" said Tony.

"On his room."

"JARVIS, tell Reindeer Games to get his ass up here." There was a pause.

"Sir, Loki says anything you want can wait till tomorrow. He refuses to leave his bed." transmitted the AI.

"Tony, it's September 17th. I don't think he will get up for anything." added Clint.

"Well, he will when he hears what this is about. JARVIS, tell him to get up here if he wants news of his son."

Thor's head shot up immediately, as did everyone else's.

"Tony, you better not be joking or I think Loki will definitely kill you." warned Bruce.

"Even I am not soulless enough to joke with something like that." protested the hero.

"Tony, my friend, what have you dis…?"

The lifter's door opening interrupted the asgardian prince and a blank faced Loki stepped out. His gaze went instantly to the millionaire, demanding an explanation.

"Wow, Reindeer Games, that's the fastest anyone's ever…"

"Shut up, Stark, and spit it out." interrupted the god.

"Wait, wait, if I shut up I can't…"

Loki growled and advanced to him. If Thor hadn't intercepted him, he would have punched the man right in the nose.

"Let us hear him out, brother." muttered Thor.

Tony cleared his throat to attract their attention and the Jötun calmed down.

"Okay, so… Point Break here told us about your son and what happened to him and I thought that I didn't lose anything for checking so…"

"Get to the point." growled the green-eyed man.

"Brother." warned the asgardian.

"So I contacted SHIELD and, using their and my contacts, we began searching." continued Tony. "About two weeks ago, you started being easily irritated and that's why this last week I've intensified the search. I was hoping to find him before the 17th, but… well… it wasn't possible."

"Tony, if you don't want Loki to murder you, I believe you should finish." warned Bruce casting a cautious look at the god.

"Oh, yes, yes, I was getting to that."

"Have you found what happened to him upon arriving on Midgard?" interrupted Thor losing his patience.

"Better yet: I've found him."

There was an incredulous pause in the room and more than one jaw dropped open at the statement.

"You… you have found Hadrian?" asked Loki with trembling voice and barely hidden hope.

"Yes." answered Tony in a softer voice.

"Is he…?" the Jötun gulped.

"He's alive." was fast to assure the genius. "I'll explain everything on the way. It's complicated. Fury and agent Coulson are waiting for us on the roof."

"Wait, w-what?" asked Thor confused.

"Hadrian is in England. There's where we're going." clarified Tony starting to walk to the lifter. "I've already made the arrangements."

XXX

Loki sat on the jet feeling completely numb. He didn't see the concerned faces of the people around him whilst the memories overwhelmed him.

' _The God of Magic stalked through the corridors of his palace with fury, though if someone looked better they would see the concern he was trying to hide._

 _None of the two emotions was unjustified, of course. A group of Frost Giants had dared attack Asgard and site his palace. He couldn't believe it! How desperate were those idiots to dare attack him?_

 _And as if that wasn't enough, his father couldn't send help because all the guards were needed to defend the rest of Asgard since the best warriors were fighting at Jötunheim. Didn't they see it was just a distraction? His palace was the real objective._

 _The man stopped in front of a door and the sound of a happy laugh reached him from the other side. Opening the door, the god couldn't stop a grin from stretching through his face, nor did he try._

 _A toddler sat on the floor, making hissing noises and playing with a little white snake. Another person would have been worried at the sight, as Loki had been the first time he came upon it, but he already knew there was no danger._

" _Daddy!"_

 _The happy cry made his grin soften and he ordered the servant at that moment taking care of his son to leave them alone._

" _Hello, my little raven."_

 _The one year old stood up and tried to walk to him in unsteady legs. Loki caught him just in time to stop him from falling on his face._

 _Looking down at the baby trustingly smiling up at him, Loki knew the decision was taken._

" _Were you playing with Alana?" asked the god in a voice full of voice that he only used with his son._

 _Hadrian nodded, looking up at him with his beautiful emerald orbs._

" _Very well. Why do not we put Alana on his terrarium for a while and play a little together?"_

 _The one year old nodded fast and disentangled the snake from his neck while the man carried him near the big terrarium before patting Alana's head and putting her down._

 _After that, Loki sat down on the floor with his son still on his lap and opened a chest full of toys._

" _What do you want us to play to today, little one?"_

" _Horses!" exclaimed the toddler._

" _Horses, eh?" hummed the god. "Let me see…"_

 _The man took two wooden horses out of the chest and used a bit of magic to animate them and made them race against each other. His reward was a sweet giggle from his little one._

 _For about half an hour, they continued playing and laughing, until Hadrian was so tired he dropped half asleep against his father's side_

" _Sleepy." muttered the toddler with a yawn._

 _The god lifted him on his arms and cradled him to his chest._

" _Then sleep, little one."_

" _Don't wanna." protested the black-haired one year old._

" _Why not?"_

" _Wanna play with you, daddy."_

" _We'll continue playing when you're less sleepy, okay? Sleep now, my little raven."_

 _The toddler nuzzled his chest and was soon asleep. The sorcerer released a chuckle, but tightened his hold on him._

 _The god spent a few hours like that, seeing his child sleep undisturbed, until a knock at the door was heard. A servant came in and bowed to him._

" _Prince Loki, the guards are ready." announced the woman. "They will begin the distraction when you give the order."_

 _The man sighed and walked with her till one of the bigger chambers and the men and women there bowed to him._

" _Take care of my son, Karina." ordered the god._

" _Of course, Prince Loki. I will protect him with my life." vowed the servant._

 _With a sigh and obvious reticence, the tall man handed the toddler to the dark haired woman. At the change of hands, the little one opened an eye and yawned cutely._

" _Daddy?"_

" _I love you, Hadrian. More than anything. I will see you soon, little jewel." Whispered the god leaning down to kiss his forehead and softly caressing his silky black hair._

" _Love you, daddy." was the muttered response of the little one._

 _The sorcerer froze before conjuring a blanket to cover his son with. Loki looked down gently at his most precious one and, if his eyes were a bit teary, nobody commented on it._

" _Do not worry, My Prince, you will see him soon." assured the servant._

 _The god saw as the woman disappeared through a corridor with his son. His heart clenched in pain. And then fury coursed through his veins. He would destroy all those bloody Frost Giants. It was their fault this was happening._

 _Feeling that rage and trying to forget the numbness the distance with his son caused him, the man stalked out of the room with some warriors following him. They had a distraction to provide._

 _If he had known how long it would be until he saw his son again…'_

"…-ki? Loki?"

Clint's concerned voice got him out of his memories.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You just spaced out." said Hawkeye.

The two men had formed a tentative friendship bonding over the fact that both had been controlled by the sceptre's power.

"Indeed. I am well." The god sighed and looked at Tony. "You promised an explanation."

The millionaire nodded and took a seat besides Thor.

"Well, I don't know how it happened, but your son was found and adopted by a wizard and a witch on the same day he arrived to this Realm."

"Their names were James and Lily Potter." added Fury. "They were from the Light faction during what is known as the Blood War. Two weeks after Hadrian's adoption, their house was attacked by the leader of the Dark faction. Your son was the only survivor, with a scar that seems a lightning bolt."

Loki clenched his jaw at the thought of someone harming his child. If he met that dark wizard…

"What happened then?" asked Thor with his voice full of worry.

"Hadrian was hailed a hero." the black-haired god snarled at Phillip's words. "He is known as the Boy-Who-Lived. Every magical being knows about him."

"After the death of the Potters, every family of the magical world wanted his custody. The leader of the Light faction placed him in the care of Lily's sister and her husband. Their names are Petunia and Vernon Dursley, non-magical humans. They have a son of Hadrian's age, Dudley Dursley." snorted Tony.

"Will there be a problem with removing my nephew from their custody?" asked Thor directly.

Loki glared at him worse than ever.

"Of course there will not be a problem. I am his father." hissed.

"Calm down, Loki. Wait till you hear everything." replied Tony.

"Legally, his custody is yours, Loki. By any means. Even magical. But your son is not just anyone. The leader of the Light faction, Albus Dumbledore, has an incredible influence. He won't allow you to take him. He'll do anything, and I mean anything, to keep control over Hadrian." explained Fury.

"What are we going to do, then?" wondered Steve aloud.

"We're going to see Hadrian. After that, everything depends on what Loki decides."

"What I decide? I decide that I want my son back after six years away!" cried the god getting up.

"Calm down, Loki." repeated this time the director of SHIELD before revealing something more. "Getting to him won't be an easy thing. Dumbledore is a powerful wizard and he probably has wards around the house that will alert him of our presence."

"How do you think we'll get to Hadrian, then?" asked Clint.

"I was counting on the God of Magic being able to get us through the wards." confessed Fury.

Loki nodded seriously. He would do whatever was needed to see his son once more. Laws didn't matter.

"We'll be there soon. Be ready for anything."

XXX

Loki looked around with disgust. The place was so normal that it was creepy. His couldn't grow up in a place like that.

"This place is disgustingly boring." voiced Tony.

"My thoughts." conceded Loki. "Who wants to live in a street full of houses that are exactly the same?"

"No idea." replied the genius.

The sorcerer of the group had already disabled the wards in a way that would give them a few hours before Dumbledore noticed anything was amiss.

"It's the number four." said agent Coulson.

The curious group walked to the house, ignoring the neighbours peering through the windows. The number four was exactly as the rest of houses of the neighbourhood.

"The people here live greatly over their possibilities." informed Tony. "They seem to think only about appearances."

Fury was the one to knock on the door and they waited impatiently until a woman with horse face opened.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Mrs Dursley? Could we get in?"

The woman frowned, but smiled forcedly and moved aside. The group entered and looked around. Just as the rest of the neighbourhood, the house was disgustingly normal. Not one bit of personality to be seen anywhere.

But there was something decidedly wrong in that house. Natasha was the first to notice that all of the photos were of the same boy while they knew two children were supposed to live there.

"Mrs Dursley, we would like to talk with all your family present, if you don't mind." requested Agent Coulson.

"Oh, well, my husband arrived a few minutes ago and my son is doing his homework, but I'll call them." said the woman with a false smile. "Why don't you wait in the sitting room? I'll be right back."

Loki narrowed his eyes at her back and followed the others into the room. there, they saw more photos of the same blonde child.

"I don't like this." whispered Natasha.

"She didn't say anything about Hadrian." agreed Loki. "Just her husband and son. Are you sure this is the right place, Stark?"

"Yes, but I agree." said Tony frowning. "The husband arrived home more than three hours ago and that sound we heard before was a new computer game."

"So she lied." muttered Bruce. "But that's…"

"Misters. My wife said you wanted to talk with my family. Is there a problem?"

Loki looked at the newly arrived man with incredulity. That thing was the man his child had grown up with? And the blonde orc following him was supposed to be a child?

"Mr Dursley? The matter is delicate and as we've told your wife, we would like to discuss it with all your family present." said the Director very serious.

"Well, here we are. Take a seat." instructed the man.

The Director of SHIELD narrowed his eyes at the oaf and Loki nearly growled.

"Well, Mr Dursley, our information says a Mr Harry Potter lives here too." informed Phil.

At the name, the faces of the three members of the family became even more forced.

"The freak?" exclaimed the child with obvious distaste. "He's not part of the family!"

Loki felt his blood boiling with rage. How dare that monkey —with no offense to the monkeys meant at all— call his son a freak? Fury's face hardened too. The impression the family was giving him wasn't one he liked.

"Mr Dursley, I would like to talk with Mr Potter." although it was phrased as a request, it was obviously an order.

"Listen now, Mister! You can't come to my home and start giving orders as if…!"

"Oh, but I can and I'm doing it." interrupted the Director with obvious pleasure. "Now, I'm going to ask you this just once more: where is Potter?"

The oaf remained stubbornly silent in regards to the question whilst protesting about his rights.

"Enough." snarled Loki stalking to him and grabbing him by the throat. "If you don't tell me where he is, you'll be begging for me to kill you before the hour is over."

The wife and son screamed, the boy trying unsuccessfully to hide himself behind his mother.

"Loki, brother, calm down."

"Not until he answers." growled the god.

"He can't answer if you kill him."

"Then his wife will know I'm serious and answer me if she doesn't want me to kill her oaf of a son."

"Good reasoning." snorted Tony.

"Stark, now's not the moment." said Natasha.

The millionaire held his hands up in a pacifying gesture.

"Stark? You're Tony Stark? And you all call yourselves heroes. You're freaks! That's what you…"

Loki choked him. Nobody even tried to stop him this time.

"Now, if you want to live," started the black-haired man in a silky soft voice. "tell me where he is."

"Un-under the stairs." choked out the oaf.

The Jötun pushed him away and against a wall and swept past them to the door. When the god saw the door of a cupboard under the stairs with the lock on, a wave of fury went through his body.

Natasha followed Loki to the cupboard while Clint blocked the door to stop any of the Dursleys from reaching it, though none thought they would really try.

Loki opened the door of the cupboard and knelt down. When the smell of blood reached his nose, the god felt fear.

"Hadrian?" called.

Something moved in the darkness and he heard a gasp of pain. When the child came into the light, relief, happiness, pain and fury filled him.

The seven year old was as small as a four or five year old, obviously malnourished, and his pale as snow skin was dirty. He had ink black hair that he remembered was soft as silk.

All in all, the child looked like a smaller version of Loki with softer features and greener eyes.

But the bigger surprise for the Agent Romanov was when those beautiful orbs brightened with hope and recognition at the sight of the god kneeling in front of the door.

"Hadrian, do you know who I am?" cautiously asked the man with the same hope.

"Daddy." whispered the child.

Loki's eyes filled with tears and, carefully, the man moved until the child was fully in his embrace. For his part, Hadrian clutched his shirt as if afraid the god would suddenly disappear.

The sorcerer felt something wet on his neck, where his son had hidden his face, and knew his little one was crying. A few of his own tears escaped his eyes and he hid his face in the child's hair.

At last. After six years, his gorgeous little gem was once again in his arms.

"Don't cry, my little raven. I'm here." whispered.

The child leaned back a little to look at him with eyes full of hope.

"Does this mean I can leave here? Can I go home now?"

The god's heart broke at his child's plea.

"Yes, little one. We're leaving." assured the man hugging him tighter.

A hiss of pain left the child's lips and the god leaned back to look at him more clearly, hiding the panic the sound sent him in.

"Hadrian? What is it? Where does it hurt?"

"My back." half sobbed the child. "It hurts, daddy."

The god released him completely and tried to ignore the empty feeling in his chest at the distance.

"Turn around, little one."

The seven year old obeyed without a doubt and the god gathered his courage before, very carefully, lifting the piece of cloth from his back.

He had to work hard to contain a gasp and not let the tears filling his eyes spill past them.

His little one's back was full of bloody lashes and old scars, as if someone had whipped his skin repeatedly.

The man hardly noticed the trembling of his own body and stood up with fury. He was going to rip that man to shreds…

"Loki!" exclaimed Natasha.

His magic was beginning to leak out of his iron control and some things trembled. But the redhead's shout made him look down and he saw his child tremble.

"No, no, no, no. I'm not angry with you, Hadrian." the god fell to his knees and turned his son around before pulling him in an embrace.

Careful not to hurt him further, the man focused his magic on healing the open lashes and transmitting a feeling of safety and love to his little one. He knew he wasn't good enough to stop the scarring, but he would be able to close the wounds.

"I knew you would find me, daddy." Whispered the child.

Loki felt his heart soften at those words. His little one trusted him so much.

"Always, my little jewel. Always." said the Jötun placing a soft kiss on his son's forehead.

The spy saw all of this and sighed. She regretted intervening but they had to decide on a train of action.

"Loki, we don't have much time."

The man sighed but nodded gratefully at her.

"Little one, I'm going to pick you up, alright? We'll be going home soon."

The child nodded and let the god pick him up before hiding his face in the crook of his neck. The man placed a kiss on his cheek, still marvelling at having his son in his arms, and caressed his silky black hair.

He nodded for Natasha to go ahead and walked after her to the sitting room. The mood there wasn't relaxed in the least.

Hawkeye was still stoically standing at the entrance. Fury and Coulson were looking at the family with narrowed eyes and barely hidden disgust. Rogers had his fists painfully closed at his sides.

Tony had taken a seat with his legs crossed and looked almost bored while playing with his phone. His tight grip on the machine was the only thing giving away his feelings towards the family.

Finally, there was Thor. The blond giant was standing near the window, looking outside with a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Where's Bruce?" asked Natasha.

"Outside." answered Fury in a clipped tone. "He didn't think he would be able to control the phasing."

"What are the options now?"

At the Jötuns intervention everyone turned to look at him and, then, at the child in his arms. Thor gave a step in his direction.

"Brother? Ha-Hadrian?"

At the sound of that familiar voice, the child looked up from where he had hidden his face in his father's neck.

"Uncle Thor?"

It was just a faint whisper, but the words were heard perfectly in the silence of the room.

"You remember me?" asked the man hopefully.

The child nodded.

"The teachers say I have eidetic memory. I remember everything."

Loki was surprised at that, but relief appeared quickly. If he remembered everything that meant it would be much easier to restablish the bond they had shared before.

Suddenly, another thought crossed his mind. if Hadrian always remembered everything he would never forget the horrors he had lived in Midgard.

"What are you talking about, freak?" shouted Vernon with his face purple.

Everyone saw Hadrian flinch, confirming their suspicions, and hide his face again in his father's chest.

Loki snarled at the large whale of a man and tightened his arms around his little one. The god was surprised when Clint jumped forward and punched the whale in the face.

"You should be more careful with what you choose to say if you're not man enough to support it, Dursley." snarled Clint relishing in the fear on his face. "Do you think you're a real man because you're stronger than a child? You disgust me, you pathetic whale."

"Take him with you, then. We never wanted him, anyway." sniffed Petunia.

"Oh, you can be sure we'll take him away. However, you will come with us. You will face Asgardian justice. Do you know what we do with child abusers?"

To everyone's surprise, it was Thor who said this. His eyes were filled of wicked glee and they shivered. They had expected that from Loki, but not from Thor.

"You can't do that. We're British citizens. Our government won't allow…"

"As a matter of fact, they will." interrupted Loki with a nasty grin. "My son is a Prince of both Asgard and Jötunheim. Your actions against him will be considered an attack against both Crowns. If Earth wants to avoid a war, they will have to give you up to my people."

Everyone present looked at him in surprise. Well, everyone but Thor.

"He's a Prince of Jötunheim?"

Hadrian looked up at him with a cute confused expression.

"But, daddy, you and Uncle Thor and Grandpa Odin always said Jötunheim was Asgard's rival Realm."

Loki tensed at that and looked down at his child, not knowing what to say. How hadn't he realized that Hadrian didn't know what he was? What they were? Hadrian was, of course, half giant and half asgardian. And he cearly remembered telling him stories of the evil of Jötunheim when he was but a toddler.

Seeing his brother so unsure as to what he should do, Thor for once decided to think before acting.

"What do you know of Jötuns, nephew?"

"Well, you always told me stories of how they were evil; they had no honour and liked to kill for entertainment." Loki flinched at that and Thor tried to come up with something to say. "But…"

The child bit his lips softly and looked down guiltily.

"Hadrian?"

"I'm not supposed to say."

"Hadrian, look at me." The child looked up at his father and he smiled gently. "I promise you, you won't get in trouble."

The child still hesitated for a second before looking at them shyly from under his dark eyelashes.

"Sometime Grandma would tell me stories of Jötunheim too. I liked hers more."

"What did she tell you?" asked Thor really curious.

"Grandma said that Jötuns, or Frost Giants, were a very strong race that live in a land where it's always winter so they lived in big castles of ice. I like ice."

Loki sighed and kissed his forehead once more. He was so grateful towards his mother for telling his son those stories. It was a relief to know his son wouldn't have the same prejudices as he had had when he discovered his origins.

"You're Grandma was right, little one."

"But why would I be a Prince of Jötunheim?"

Loki swallowed. It would be hard to explain, as Jötun culture was strange in many points. First, he would have to explain to Hadrian that he himself was a Jötun and Hadrian was half. Even though Loki hadn't been a direct heir to the throne of Jötunheim, he was still part of its Royal Line. Hadrian as his son was part of it too

However, Jötunheim's protection only applied to them as long as they didn't do anything that could be considered treason against its Crown.

Loki didn't have that protection since his attack against Jötunheim when he destroyed the Bïfrost. But his son did. Hadrian had done nothing against Jötunheim and, until he did so, he was still a Prince of the Frozen Lands.

Looking at the glaring and scared Midgardians, the Jötun decided they had spent more than enough time in their presence.

"I'll explain later, son. Now, I just want us to leave this place."

Hadrian nodded shyly and went back to hiding on his chest. Thor chuckled at the sight. It was certainly cute.

"Now, what?" asked Hawkeye still eyeing the family with disgust.

"Well, if we want to keep Hadrian out of Dumbledore's hands it would be better for Loki and Hadrian to return to Asgard, at least until we have sorted out everything here." said Fury.

Loki nodded. He would keep his son safe, no matter what.

"Then, Thor, Stark, Banner and Rogers, return with Loki and his son to the Tower. If any wizard somehow gets there you should be enough to take care of them. The rest of us will stay and make sure the Dursleys are put in custody as soon as possible."

When Loki saw Dursley was going to protest and not wanting to deal with the idiot, the god sent a wave of magic that made it so his voice wouldn't come out when he tried to talk.

"He's only silenced." said Loki unconcerned when everyone looked at him with a raised eyebrow and slight amusement in their eyes.

"I will stay to make sure there is no problem." said Thor looking menacingly at the now cowering Dursleys.

Fury frowned but for once didn't argue. He simply sent Coulson with Loki and the others.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure the filth is locked." whispered Clint to Loki.

The God of Magic smiled at him gratefully before walking out in search of Banner, not once letting go of his son.

XXX

Loki looked down at the now sleeping Hadrian and smiled. How he had missed his son.

He moved a few bangs of hair out of his child's face and sighed when he cuddled closer before looking around at the private jet.

Stark was sitting on a chair with his phone, doing who knows what. He seemed really focused on it.

Banner was sleeping on one of the seats, not wanting to stress out too much and end up destroying the jet.

Coulson was calmly sitting near an equally calm Steve, both sending fond grins at Hadrian's sleeping form once in a while. Loki was still amused at how easily they had fallen for Hadrian's charm. A few innocent questions and it was done. Not that his son knew it, of course. He was simply one of those people that drew you in without even noticing.

It wasn't bad, if he admitted it himself. His son would need as much protection as possible and he was sure the Avengers would protect him with everything they had once they knew him a bit. Steve and Phil were living proof of that.

With a content sigh, Loki went back to carding his fingers through his son's black unruly hair.

XXX

Loki contained a laugh as he saw it happen again.

Hadrian had awoken a few minutes before and had somehow ended striking up a conversation with Tony Stark.

The millionaire was a little wary at first, seeing as he didn't really like children much. But when he saw how intelligent the little guy was, he decided he would take the God of Mischief's son under his wing.

A few minutes later, Loki could see the same fondness in his eyes when he gazed at Hadrian as Steve's and Coulson's showed.

The same happened a few more minutes later when Banner joined in the conversation. The scientist had been ecstatic when the Other Guy had expressed in his head how much he like the little child.

The way to the Tower was spent with Hadrian cuddling close to his father while listening enraptured as Tony explained the basics of mechanics, Banner adding something here and there. The child didn't even know he wasn't supposed to be able to understand half the stuff he was being taught.

XXX

They arrived at the common floor in the Avengers Tower and made sure JARVIS run a scan of the place and upped the security, just in case.

Then, the Man of Iron, as Loki and Thor still called him sometimes, walked to a box and took out some clothes before prompting Hadrian to change onto them.

Loki was completely stunned when Tony confessed Loki's own floor on the Tower was now filled to the brim with children things like clothes, books, toys and any other thing he had thought of.

It seemed that had been what he had been so focused on doing on the plane. Purchasing anything he could think of that a child could need or want.

Loki had been about to protest when Tony cut him off saying he had more than enough money and no one but the Avengers to spend it on, so spending it on Hadrian was actually one of the best things he could do.

After that, the God of Magic looked into the totally serious face of the Man of Iron and did the only thing he could do in such a situation.

"Thank you."

XXX

September 23rd

"Tony?"

Tony looked down at the small child observing intently as Tony explained how to build a little inoffensive robot. It was easy to forget he was only a child with how easily he was learning everything they taught him.

"Yes, munchkin?"

"Do you think Grandma and Grandpa will still love me?"

Tony left the nearly finished robot on the work table and turned to look at Hadrian.

"Of course they will. Why wouldn't they?"

"It's been so long."

Tony sighed. He hadn't had the best of childhoods either. Sure, he hadn't had it as bad as Hadrian. Well, not even a tiny part of Hadrian's. He had had anything he wanted. But he had been pretty much ignored by his parents. He wasn't good with emotion because he had never had anyone to teach him about them. But he could try.

"Well, for what I know they've been looking for you all this time. Why would they do that if they didn't love you?"

He knew he had done it right when Hadrian smiled at him, a little shy as it was, and he smiled back.

"I'll miss you."

Tony felt his eyes soften. This child hadn't known about Iron Man or Tony Stark before meeting him. He wasn't biased in anyway. He had met Tony and nothing else. And that's all that really mattered to Hadrian: Tony. No Stark and no Iron Man. And, yet, he liked Ton enough that he would miss him.

"It won't be too long, Hadrian. In no time at all, you'll be back. Your father promised you."

"He did." Smiled the child happily.

"Yeah. But…" Tony hesitated before ruffling his hair. "I'll miss you too, munchkin. Now, let's go, we can finish the robot later. I have a new prank that I want to try. Clint, Steve or Thor?"

"Uncle Thor." giggled the child with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Yep, definitely son of the God of Mischief.

XXX

October 1st

Thor, Loki and Hadrian stood together at the top of the Avengers Tower. There had been some complications with the detention of the Dursleys that had delayed this for a couple of weeks, but Loki's wards had kept any wizard well away from them and it had already been solved.

They were leaving for Asgard.

Thor would return soon to take the Dursleys to Asgard after having made arrangements with his father, but Loki and Hadrian would have to stay until things calmed down a bit.

They weren't exactly happy about it. Loki had been working with the Avengers for a while and, while they weren't the best of friends, he had bonded with Clint and Tony. Hadrian, on the other hand, seemed to get on incredibly well with all of them, which shouldn't have surprised Loki. He had bonded with them all over the last two weeks and was sad to have to leave his new friends.

Although Hadrian didn't really like to be touched too much, he had given each of the Avengers a strong hug. Even the stern Director Fury that seemed to melt into a puddle of goo when it came to Hadrian —and gods did he get teased for that— had received one.

And, now, it was time to leave.

"Take care, munchkin. And make sure you take lots of souvenirs." said Stark getting a slap to the back of the head from Natasha.

Hadrian giggled, remembering the camera Tony had gifted him so he could take pictures every time he played a new prank, and nodded.

The millionaire winked at him and Loki gave a long suffering sigh. Honestly, Stark was nearly worse than him. It was him who was supposed to be corrupting his son.

If he was truthful, it amused him greatly. Those two together were truly a headache.

Shaking his head, Loki picked Hadrian up, knowing that otherwise he would fall to the floor as soon as they appeared on the other side of the Bïfrost. He would have to get used to it before being able to use and stay standing.

Thor smiled at his friends and said goodbye in that booming voice of his and the others couldn't help but smile.

"Are you ready, son?" asked Loki looking at Hadrian.

Bright green eyes turned to him and the child nodded with a shy smile. Loki nodded softly and, as one, he and his brother looked up at the sky.

"Heimdall! Open the Bïfrost!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello, everyone! Yes, I'm back and I bring with me a new chapter of Hadrian Lokison. I'm sorry for the delay, I know two years is a long time. Truthfully, I had not planned to continue this story till I finished the other ones I had started. However, this seems to be my most popular one to the date and so I couldn't just not write anymore._

 _I was so excited when I saw how well received this story was! I certainly didn't expect this when I posted it. I mean, it's got more than one thousand favs and over one hundred reviews! It may not seem like too much to some, but it means a lot to me._

 _It's taken me a long time, much longer than I intended, to write the second chapter and I'm not really all that happy with how it's turned out but if I wait anymore I will end up leaving it as a one-shot. I'm afraid Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War made me reconsider some things..._

 _So, as a reader, I know long author notes are not really welcome, but please bear with me for a little longer._

 _I announced in the first chapter that the story would be slash. Although that won't happen yet for obvious reasons, I was turning around in my head the possible pairings and although, at first, I had wanted to write a Harry/Tony pairing and favour it because it's what I first had in mind, someone that asked for Tony/Loki made me realise that there were other pairing that I may also enjoy writing. I wanted to give you the chance to have your say in the matter. Just to let you know, if I do a Tony/Loki I will still pair Harry with a male and focus on him and obviously if I do Harry/Tony there will be no Tony/Loki. Other males I am considering would be Peter Quill, Doctor Strange, Peter Parker... Tom Riddle..._

 _One last warning: my updates, as with all my stories, won't be regular. It could as well be two weeks as two years till the next chapter, especially since I am right now in the middle of university exams, but I will try to update when I finish them._

 _On the matter of our dear not so dear headmaster... well, we'll have to wait for a bit yet for him to make his appearance, but it will eventually happen, hehehe._

 _For those of you who may prefer to read in French, there is an author, Elrika, who has been so kind as to devote some of her time to translating this story and I will be of course letting her know of the new chapter. Thanks, Elrika!_

 _Finally, I would like to thank everyone that left a review (thanks, because if not for that, I probably would not have updated in many more years...). For the first time, I cannot really answer them one by one since there are so many, but I would like to answer to some in particular:_

 _Loveless Demon: okay, I admit it, I laughed when I read what you had imagined. I laughed and my friend that was sitting next to me looked at me as if I were crazy, but it was worth it. I can certainly imagine something like that happening, though we'll have to wait a little bit till Harry feels a bit more comfortable and confident. Hope you like this new chapter!_

 _nightlyreader: You raise a good point in that a normal child would have been able to simply see the news and recognise Loki, but there is the fact that Harry was abused and in no way allowed to watch the TV, to the point that he learned to keep his eyes and ears shut to it lest his uncle even think he was being lazy. Then there's the fact that he was ostrisized in school. Even if he did hear something about him, he couldn't really ever be sure that it was actually Loki as in his father. Also, the authorities wouldn't listen to him with the Dursleys spewing lies about him and even if they did believe him... well, he is the son of a man who tried to take over Earth, almost succeeded and killed quite a number of humans. Hope that answers your question._

 _Faiien: I'm happy you enjoyed the first chapter. About Harry's upbringing... define corny, hehehe. There will probably be bashing, though I'm still not sure whom all I will be bashing or on what level, but certainly Dumbledore, maybe Ron and Hermione and not the twins, Neville, Luna or maybe Draco. It also depends on what role they fulfil. I was going to approach the topic of Loki's fall and a few other things in future chapters... I'm not going to write anything yet, but if you really can't wait to know you may PM me and I'll answer your questions. I will let you know, though, that Thanos has not been killed and although they know Loki was being controlled (Odin removed the sceptre's hold on him and let him go to Midgard under his brother's watchful gaze), they do not know who it was that controlled him. I think that's all? Hope you like the next chapter and keep on reading this story :)_

 _Harry Albus Potter Dumbledore: I'm sorry the idea of the slash does not appeal to you, but everyone has their own tastes. I did not really like even the idea of slash till a few years back when I read by mistake a really good story that turned out to be slash in the end so I understand you not wanting to read it. Still, thank you for having read the first chapter and leaving a review; I'm glad you got to enjoy it._

 _.Wonderland.8510: I don't know where to start answering your review, hahaha. I suppose you'll just have to keep reading to discover the answer, because I'm still not sure as to the answer to at least the last two._

 _Halimede: I'm so glad to hear you found it so interesting. I loved writing it and I also loved having the Avengers support Loki, though I look forward even more to writing about their future interactions, hahaha._

 _kirallie: I'm afraid my answer to you is that those matters will be addressed in the next chapters, when I actually write them. In fact, I'm still thinking of what angle to go with in the matter._

 _I really consider most of this chapter to be kind of a filler, but I hope you still like it. That said, I'm tired and grumpy and just want to update and I'm sure you all just want me to shut up and get on to read the chapter so, please, enjoy reading and thank you so much to all of you for your support to this story and your reviews._

Chapter 2

When they arrived and the Bïfrost closed, Loki was grateful he was carrying his son. The child would have fallen flat on his face, if his dizzy expression was anything to go by.

"Oh, that's right, you never really got to see the Bïfrost, did you?"

The child shook his head a little and continued looking around with wonder. His eyes widened upon sight of the tall figure of a man with heavy gold armour.

The man gave a half bow and greeted them, his eyes settling on Hadrian almost immediately.

"Prince Hadrian, let me be the first to welcome you back to Asgard."

Hadrian smiled shyly and muttered a small 'thank you' that made the stern guardian's eyes soften slightly, even if his face remained blank.

"There are horses outside waiting for you, my Princes."

Thor and Loki nodded at the man and left with a farewell. As Heimdall had said, there were two horses outside and they didn't lose any time on mounting them.

Hadrian sat back to chest with Loki and the man smiled when he saw his son's hand hover over the horse's crest.

"You can touch it. It's not going to bite you." Whispered Loki.

Hadrian smiled and petted the animal before burrowing in the god's chest but still looking around with wide eyes as the city seemed to get closer and closer.

XXX

Loki dismounted swiftly and helped his awed child do the same. Instead of a group of servants as they had expected, they found the Warrior Three and Lady Sif themselves waiting for them.

"Thor! Welcome home!" said Volstagg in his usual booming voice.

"How good it is to see you on this bright day, my friends!" replied the Thunder God.

"It is without a doubt a joyous day the day of your return. Your parents will be happy to see you. And the ladies as well." joked Fandral.

"It is not my return which brings joy this time, Fandral." said Thor with a giant grin.

The Warrior Three and Sif looked at him in confusion. However, they soon understood and were left speechless when they finally realised there was a child present.

The child had a black mop of silky black hair, pale skin and beautiful emerald green eyes. He was half hiding behind the Trickster God's legs, his small hands fisted on his black pants and his head peeking out shyly to look at the present warriors.

With everyone's gaze on him, Hadrian hid more behind his father, who looked down at him with softness and put a hand on his head.

"It cannot be… can it?" whispered Sif.

Hogun looked at Thor for confirmation, which he got only seconds later.

"It is indeed a bright day in Asgard when all its princes finally return home. My friends, this is my nephew, Prince Hadrian Lokison."

For a few moments there was only silence. Then, Sif walked towards Loki and fell onto a knee in front of the child.

"Well met, Prince Hadrian. Welcome back."

The child peeked around his father's legs and blinked before giving a small smile, still nervously clutching the god's pants in his tiny fists.

"Thank you, Lady Sif."

Her eyes widened at his words and she thought back on all that had been said, but couldn't remember her name having been mentioned even once.

"How?" breathed the warrior woman.

"Hadrian has what Midgardians call an 'idatic memory'." answered Thor fumbling with the words of the unfamiliar term. "He can remember everything since he was born."

"Eidetic memory, Thor." corrected Loki rolling his eyes. "But yes, that's basically what it means."

Sif turned her attention back to the child.

"Then you can remember me?"

"You were always with Grandma when she told me stories." said the child with a small nod.

"That is true." replied Sif with an upward tilt of her lips.

As one of the Queen's guards, she had often been present when Frigga told a new tale to her grandson.

"I think it would be wise for us to escort you to the throne room, lest the Queen learn that we held her grandson from seeing her even just a second longer than absolutely needed." said Lady Sif looking at the child with unusual gentleness in her eyes.

"You're right, of course, Lady Sif." boomed Thor.

"Don't tell me you're now afraid of a woman, Thor." joked one of the God of Thunder's friends. "My, my, your time in Midgard has turned you into a big softie."

"I'd like to see you go against my mother, my friend." replied Thor uncaring of his teasing words.

Fandral —or at least Hadrian thought it was Fandral as he had only ever seen the man in passing when he lived in Asgard— shivered at the thought of opposing the Queen in any way.

The Queen was beautiful and gentle, yet she could also be the scariest woman ever. Not even Lady Sif scared him so much.

"Let's not make your parents wait, Thor."

Loki shook his head and picked his child up before following after his laughing brother and said brother's friends.

Hadrian rested his head on his father's shoulder and tried not to show how nervous he was about meeting his grandparents again. Tony's reassurance had calmed him down considerably, but he hadn't been about to meet his grandparents.

His gaze wandered over to Lady Sif, who walked one step behind them. The warrior woman gave him a small smile and Hadrian returned it. Would Grandma and Lady Sif tell him stories again?

XXX

Hadrian's return home was met with tears from his grandmother and a gentle hand on his shoulder from his grandfather.

The child didn't understand why yet, but his father had seemed leery of letting the King near him. The older man had looked a bit sad at that.

The youngest Prince was currently in his grandmother's arms, feeling rather content despite his previous fears of not being loved anymore. It was obvious that wasn't the case.

"…there are so many things we have to do. You need new clothes —we'll have to contact the royal tailor—, new toys… birthdays! We've missed so many birthdays…"

Hadrian appeared to be overwhelmed by her uncharacteristic display of raw emotion. Seeing that, Loki decided it was time to intervene.

"First Hadrian needs to be seen to by a healer."

"A healer?"

The Queen's head snapped up so fast Loki almost thought he had imagined her having been looking down at his child.

"Why would he need to see a healer?" she asked with a hard glint in her pretty blue eyes.

For once, Thor chose to keep quiet and let his brother talk. He would handle the situation much better; he could only hope.

However, Loki had other ideas.

"I'm sure Thor can explain the situation while I take Hadrian to the healing chambers."

The God of Mischief couldn't help feeling slight vindictiveness at his brother's horrified stare, but it wasn't the main reason why he would have him be the one to explain everything to their parents. He was simply in no mood to deal with the uproar that would result and he was anxious to have an Asgardian healer take a look at his child.

With that in mind, Loki strode forward and gathered his son up into his arms. The little Prince made himself comfortable in his father's arms and smiled shyly at his grandparents, waving at them over the god's shoulder as they walked out.

They weren't even two corridors away from the throne room when Lady Sif caught up to them. Loki raised an eyebrow at her.

"The Queen has asked I accompany and assist you in anything you may need."

"She has ordered you to guard us and tell her everything the healer says." translated Loki in a rather dry voice.

The woman shrugged. It was basically the same thing.

XXX

"…will have to follow a specific diet to get him up to the weight he should be at. I'm afraid I can't do much about the scars. There's an ointment that may help them fade a little, but he'll always have them. Otherwise he seems healthy, considering his situation."

Loki listened to the healer while keeping an eye on Hadrian. They were standing outside the half-closed door whilst the child sat on a bed. Lady Sif was currently entertaining him with tales of her battles with Thor and the Warrior Three.

He was furious to know not all the physical damage imparted by those animals could be completely corrected, but they could at least try.

"And the scar on his forehead?"

The healer hesitated before answering and Loki narrowed his eyes.

"It is just the Royal Protection. It, of course, took the shape of a lightning bolt in representation of his status as an Heir-Prince of Asgard in direct line of inheritance."

"And?" pressed Loki sensing a 'but' coming.

"There is something strange about it. There seems to be some kind of energy emanating from it that I cannot quite pinpoint the origin of."

"Will it harm him?"

"It doesn't seem to be affecting him in anyway."

"Is there a way to remove it? Just in case it is actually harmful." Sighed the god dragging a hand through his hair.

"I'm afraid not. Without knowing what it is, trying to remove it could have severe consequences. It could… well, it could even kill him."

Loki tensed at those words and swallowed. His child's laugh reached his ears and he closed his eyes for a second.

"I can try to find out where it comes from, but the removal is not possible at the moment."

"Then do that."

XXX

Hadrian stayed quiet as the royal tailor took his measurements under his father's and grandmother's watchful eyes. He was still a bit anxious at being near his grandmother, but she had soothed most of his fears of rejection.

It didn't take long for the tailor to finish and Hadrian stepped down from the stool he had been standing on.

Frigga was giving the tailor a long list of garments she wanted to be made for Hadrian. Loki approached him and smiled slightly.

"Is there anything else you would like, Hadrian?"

The child bit his lip, uncertain, but in the end, spoke at his father's encouraging look.

"May I have some trousers and T-shirts like the ones Tony bought for me?" he asked shyly.

Loki didn't hesitate. He immediately turned to the tailor and ordered some clothes like the ones the child was wearing but in different colours.

When the man left, Loki kneeled in front of his son and pushed a rebellious lock of hair out of his eyes.

"Next time we visit your uncle's comrades we'll bring back some of your clothes so our tailors can copy the style, alright?" said the god completely sure the Man of Iron wouldn't mind.

He didn't actually like the kind of clothes Midgardians wore, but his son did and he would do anything to keep his son happy.

Hadrian nodded enthusiastically. He had liked everything Tony had bought for him, even if he had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of things. The billionaire certainly hadn't held back.

"Are you feeling hungry, Hadrian?" asked his grandmother. "Lunch will be served soon and you are much too skinny."

The child blushed and hid behind his father, who released a soft amused laugh before steering both his child and his mother out of the room.

XXX

Odin and Thor were in deep conversation when the rest of the family walked in.

They had been talking about the preparations that needed to be made before bringing the Dursley family to Asgard in order for them to be judged, but they stopped as soon as they saw Loki, Frigga and Hadrian. Little Hadrian was in his father's arms, his face on his shoulder and clearly exhausted.

Frigga went to sit next to his husband as Loki took a seat next to Thor with his son on his lap. Immediately, servants poured in and begun to serve the dishes.

Seeing Loki was keeping Hadrian busy enough by filling his plate with foods the healer had recommended, Frigga took the opportunity to talk to his husband.

"Did you finish with the preparations?" asked Frigga.

"Almost, dear. We have reached the conclusion that the Jötuns must get involved as well, so we will have to send an emissary to Jötunheim before we go any further with the preparations. After that, everything will be ready for Thor to go back to Midgard and collect them."

"Good. It's time they pay for their crimes."

The King of Asgard almost shuddered at the cold look on his wife's eyes. She was the most beautiful and scarier woman he knew, and he loved her all the more for it.

XXX

That night, Loki showed his son to his own room. Hadrian's was still being set up, connected to his chambers by a door as per his instructions, so they would have to share his until it was ready.

Not that Loki was complaining.

His personal rooms were, frankly, magnificent. It was to be expected of Asgard's royalty. However, Hadrian was too tired to take in any of the details and Loki was too used to them to pay the luxurious rooms any mind.

The Jötun helped his son change and ushered him to the enormous bed.

"Daddy."

"Yes?" asked Loki as he tucked the yawning child in.

"Why am I a Prince of Jötunheim?"

Loki stood still for a second, having forgotten about his son's lack of knowledge of their ancestry and his promise to explain once they were back in the safety of Asgard.

"Let me tell you a story."

Hadrian nodded eagerly even as his mouth opened in another silent yawn. Sighing heavily, the god sat on the edge of the bed and busied himself with smoothing down the blankets covering his son as he thought of where to start.

"A long time ago, so much that few remain who remember it, two warring realms collided in war. Asgard was the realm of a people acclaimed as gods, strong and honourable. Jötunheim was home to tall and strong warriors that moulded ice as if it were the air they breathed and despised weakness above anything else." Loki paused, trying to find the needed words. "Before the war against the Frost Giants, Asgard had conquered realm after realm, and ruled them fairly as if they were their own people. Then, Jötunheim attempted to conquer Midgard."

"Earth?" interrupted Hadrian in a small voice. "The Frost Giants wanted it? Why?"

"I do not really know, little one. All I know is when they did attack, the King and the army of Asgard fought them back. They chased them away from Midgard and all other realms, back to their frozen lands." Loki stopped to take a deep breath and swipe some hair from the child's eyes. "The last battle of the war was fought right in Jötunheim and Asgard won the war when they invaded the Jötun temple and took their most powerful artefact, the Casket of Ancient Winters, which allowed them to travel between realms much like the Bïfrost does."

Hadrian listened enraptured, his sleep forgotten for a bit as he got lost in the story.

"However, the Casket was not the only thing the King of Asgard took from the Jötuns. As they were about to leave, the King had found a baby, small and blue. It was the son of the Jötun King, Laufey, abandoned at the temple because he had been born small, and by Jötun beliefs, weak."

Loki almost sneered at the thought that such an advanced race could have such backwards beliefs. If Laufey had not cast him out, he would have had a son with strong magic. It was laughable how, like Asgard, Jötunheim valued physical strength above the possibility of magical strength.

"King Odin, believing he would someday be able to unite both realms thanks to that child, brought him to Asgard. With magic, he hid the baby's parentage even from the child himself and raised him alongside his real son, Thor."

Hadrian's eyes were wide with understanding.

"You are a Jötun?"

Loki cringed at the words, but nodded nonetheless.

Finding only curiosity in his son's eyes after facing the scorn of their people was like a soothing balm to his wounded soul.

"So, am I a Jötun too?"

"Only half, little one. You are half Jötun half Asgardian and I know you've got the best of both worlds."

"Will I turn blue? Do _you_ turn blue?"

"I do." answered Loki with a chuckle. "I had never thought on whether you would, though. I suppose we'll be finding out soon."

Hadrian smiled sleepily, the tiredness making itself known now that the excitement of the story had faded.

Loki blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected his son to take it so well and he found himself once more grateful for the stories his mother had told Hadrian.

Making sure the child was wholly covered by the blankets but for his head, Loki bent down to place a kiss on the small child's forehead.

"Love you, daddy." muttered Hadrian rapidly falling asleep.

"I love you too, my little one."

Loki stayed there for a while, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of his son's chest as he thought of his origins.

His son had easily accepted their nature with an open mind and a healthy dose of curiosity. Maybe it was time Loki did the same.

XXX

The next morning, Loki and Hadrian had just sat down for breakfast when they were informed by Frigga of Thor's early departure for Earth.

Hadrian seemed slightly put off that he hadn't got to see him before leaving, but he was soon enough too distracted to dwell on it as he watched Loki pile up food on his plate, keeping in mind the diet the healer had recommended.

Hadrian stared at the full plate with wide eyes, before looking up at his father and the man couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"You don't have to eat it all, Hadrian. Eat what you can and leave the rest."

The relief he felt was clear in his face before he picked up the fork and brought some meat to his mouth. The child's happiness at the taste brought to his mind one of the first times they ate together at the Avenger's Tower.

It had been just a couple days since they had got Hadrian out of the Dursley's hold and it was almost time for dinner. Stark had wanted to get some pizza whilst Rogers argued that was no proper meal for a child.

Ignoring both men, Barton had asked Hadrian what he wanted to have only to learn that he had never eaten pizza. Everyone had fallen silent at that.

From what Loki understood, not having tried pizza after living for so long on Earth was almost unheard of.

The discovery had prompted a round of questions about what the Dursleys had allowed him to eat, which consisted on a short list of disgusting and poor in nutrients foods and an alarmingly low quantity too.

Stark, his hands fisting in hidden fury, had smiled widely at the child before ordering all sorts of take away.

Hadrian hadn't eaten a lot, but he had enjoyed immensely trying everything there was, even when he found he didn't like something. His delight at such a simple thing had been infectious.

Loki looked away to hide his sadness and felt some gratefulness towards Sif when she engaged the child in a talk about how different Midgard was from Asgard.

"So, my brother has gone to get them?"

"Yes, he seemed impatient to bring them to Asgardian justice. Specially after last night…"

"What happened last night?" asked Loki with a frown.

Frigga and Odin exchanged a gaze before his mother placed her hands on her lap and decided to let the talking to her husband.

"The people are baying for blood in behalf of their young prince. There is no doubt the outcome will be a death penalty."

"No!" exclaimed Loki.

Everyone at the table startled at the Jötun's shout and he had to clench his jaw to replace his thunderous expression for a more placid one.

"Daddy?"

"Sorry, Hadrian, I was just startled." soothed the god caressing the child's silky black hair. "Go back to your food."

The child looked doubtful, but obeyed and went back to his plate and talking with the Lady Sif.

Once sure he was suitably distracted, Loki turned back to the surprised King and Queen and lowered his voice.

"They cannot receive a death penalty."

"You do not want their blood?" asked Odin with his only visible eye staring intently at him as if he didn't quite believe him.

"I did not say that." countered Loki silkily. "I do not want them to live, but neither do I want them to find reprieve in a quick death. They made my son suffer for years and they should suffer accordingly." The god elaborated. "Has someone been sent to Jötunheim? It should not take long for my brother to return."

"The Warrior Three left early this morning." explained Frigga. "They should be back at midday if everything goes well. Everything will be ready by the time Thor returns."

A small hand tugging on his clothes made him look down into the shy bright eyes of his son.

"When will uncle Thor come back?" asked Hadrian having perked up at Thor's name.

"Soon, little one. Soon."

XXX

"Daddy?"

"What is it, my little Prince?"

"Where is Alana?"

"Alana?"

Loki thought back to the snake pet his son had had as a child. She had been an unexpected addition to their household.

' _Loki had decided to take Hadrian to see the market outside their palace and they had already visited stalls full of sweets, toys and clothes._

 _It was whilst talking to one of the vendors that the child slipped from his hand and toddled way. When he noticed, Loki became frantic._

 _The Prince called on the guards to search for his lost son. After almost half an hour, Loki heard giggling and hissing coming from the back of one of the stalls near where he had last seen him and went to investigate only to find the toddler sitting on the floor with a snake wrapped around him as if it were a scarf and hissing back at him._

" _Hadrian!" exclaimed the worried God. "Do not move!"_

 _But the child simply looked up at him and smiled before showing him the snake._

" _Daddy! Look!"_

 _The snake looked at him and flicked its tongue out, tasting the air, before turning her attention back to the child and nuzzling his chubby cheek. Hadrian giggled again and hissed and that's when Loki finally understood what had happened._

 _His son was displaying the variant of the All-Speak that allowed some gods to talk with animals. And from the snake's behaviour there seemed to be no danger to him since they understood each other._

 _After the scare of losing the child in the market and finding him with a deadly creature wrapped around him passed, Loki paid to purchase the snake. She would make a good pet and guardian for his son.'_

Brought back to the present by Hadrian's hand tugging on his sleeve, Loki looked down and smiled at him.

"She is still in our palace; the servants there were tasked with looking after her." he explained. "She was rather distraught after your disappearance and she wouldn't allow anyone near but for bringing her food. I shall have her delivered here, if you wish."

The child nodded enthusiastically. Yes, she had been a good guardian and Loki would make sure she resumed such a position.

XXX

Loki frowned as his mother took Hadrian with her to the Library. She wanted to see how advanced he was and hire a tutor appropriate for his level.

The god had no doubt that she would be surprised; the Man of Iron certainly had.

Still, he didn't like separating himself from his son. He hadn't liked it in Midgard, even knowing the Avengers would rather lay their lives down than allow any harm to come to his child, and he didn't like it now in Asgard, knowing his family and guards would do the same.

The Jötun fidgeted before he caught himself and stood straight. It was the first time he had been alone in Odin's presence in a long time.

"My brother is back, then?"

"Yes, he is. Heimdall announced his return. He is now bringing the prisoners to a cell."

"Why not have them brought here immediately?" asked Loki, his frown deepening.

"The Warrior Three have news we must first listen to."

"They are back too? It took them longer than expected."

"Indeed. I expect they will explain the reason why."

Loki hummed, but said nothing else. He didn't even look at Odin, instead keeping his eyes trained on the door as he stood rigidly on the dais mere meters from the King.

He ignored the memory of the pointed look Frigga had sent them both over Hadrian's head before leaving them alone or the way Odin's eye was fixed on him as if he waited for something.

"Loki…"

"Yes?" he asked in a controlled cold voice.

Odin sighed, but the God of Mischief didn't spare him a glance.

"Loki, son, we must talk."

"I am not your son." replied the younger god. "And there is nothing to talk about."

Another sigh. The Jötun gritted his teeth. He couldn't stand being treated as if he were an unruly child.

"Loki…"

"You want to talk?" snapped the black-haired man turning around with a click of his heels, his face turning from its calm façade to a mask of fury. "Fine, then. Let's talk. Let's talk about how you lied to me all my life, making me believe I was something I was not, punishing me for being different, for thinking different and behaving different when, well, surprise, surprise, I _am_ different. How about we talk about the time you let the Frost Giants attack my palace without offering any military support which in the end just served to make me lose my son for six years and for him to spend them in that hell-hole in Midgard with those animals?" he didn't let Odin interrupt as he so obviously wanted to; he was on a roll and he wasn't going to stop until he had said his piece. "Or how about we talk about how you didn't even notice the man you claim to be your son was being controlled when he attacked another planet, the one where he believed his lost son to be stranded in, in fact, and simply blamed him for it? You want to talk about that?"

The Asgardian seemed to become older before his very eyes with each word the young god uttered.

"I recognise I made some mistakes-"

"Some mistakes? That's what we're calling it now?"

"You are not exempt of blame, either!" thundered the King getting to his feet. "Yes, I made mistakes, but so did you, Loki!"

The God of Mischief recoiled as if struck, but the fury in his face didn't vanish.

"You weren't being controlled when you let those Frost Giants into Asgard to stop your brother's coronation! Or when you killed Laufey and tried to destroy Jötunheim!"

"No… no, I wasn't, but I did it because Thor wasn't ready to be King and you wouldn't listen! And the Frost Giants were the reason Hadrian disappeared in Midgard!" the younger shouted back. "But when I was controlled you didn't even contemplate that there might be something behind my actions!"

"What did you want me to believe? Your track record didn't exactly inspire trust, Loki."

"I wanted you to behave like a father would! But it was apparently too much to ask because you didn't doubt for a second that ambition and revenge were my only motivation! You didn't even notice my eyes were different. If not for mother, I would still be rotting in a cell!"

They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes, weighing both what had been said and what hadn't.

"My mistakes were more grievous than I wanted to see." sighed the older god. "Although that does not excuse you from your past actions, Loki, I can see that you are also right. I failed you as a father many times now. What can I do to make it up to you for an old man's mistakes?"

Loki stared at him blankly, his magic warning him of the approaching people.

"Nothing. You can't do anything now." He finally said before turning around to greet the new arrivals.

The Warrior Three knelt and brought a hand to their chests in respect before the All-Father. Having apparently arrived with them, Thor stood next to them. The Prince was serious for once and his eyes alternated looking between his father and his brother with an unusual sharpness.

"My son, I trust everything went well in Midgard." greeted Odin smoothly, previous feelings being put aside in favour of the more pressing matters.

"More or less." replied the Thunder God with a half-smile half-grimace. "Fury was glad to release the Dursleys into our custody, the Man of Iron sent some things for Hadrian and the team cannot wait to see him again. SHIELD is still surveying that Dumbledoor character."

Loki didn't bother correcting him at the mangled name.

"And yet you do not look happy, brother."

"They didn't relinquish the Dursley child." he confessed with a small frown. "They sent him to a place of punishment for children on Midgard. We reached an agreement. If he does not become a productive part of their society, he will be released into our custody upon his turning eighteen."

Loki was not happy about it, but the promise of a future chance to take revenge managed to appease him. And if he so wished, he knew he could pay a visit to Midgard and find the boy.

"You got the other two?" he asked just to be sure.

"Yes, I left them in the dungeons. The guards were happy to welcome them." smirked Thor.

"And what news do you bring from Jötunheim?" demanded Odin from the Warrior Three.

"The Jötuns do indeed offer their support to the young Prince." Answered Fandral. "However, King Helblindi wishes to arrange a meeting where he will be able to negotiate personally the conditions and a New Peace treaty."

The God of Lies blinked in surprise at the name of the new King of Jötunheim. Apparently, Laufey's youngest son, Helblindi, hadn't lost any time in organising his own coronation over his older brother's. Or what was more likely, over his older brother's corpse.

"And what took _you_ so long, then?" snapped Loki.

"The Jötuns weren't sure what to make of your child since you tried and almost succeeded at destroying their Realm." snapped back Volstagg. "They couldn't really decide whether they wanted to attack and kidnap the young Prince or to ignore his existence entirely as they have yours."

Loki glared at him, but the Warrior ignored him and simply glared back.

"Enough." ordered the King. "The meeting will be arranged. You will return to Jötunheim and negotiate a date at the earliest time of convenience with the Jötun King. Leave."

XXX

Loki stared out of his room's window at the darkness of the night that seemed to cover everything. He needed to sleep, but he had found it impossible as soon as he had closed his eyes.

The meeting with the Jötuns would be in the morning and he found his mind wandering to what could happen then.

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, the God of Magic cast one last look at the darkness outside and turned around intent on trying to get some sleep.

He hadn't even reached the bed when a scream sliced through the silence of the night.

Loki was running through the door into the next room as soon as it started and his magic lit every light there after sweeping through the room and making sure there were no hidden threats.

His son was crying out in his sleep, tossing and turning with tears falling from his closed eyes.

Loki hurried to his side and knelt on the bed as his magic enveloped Hadrian's and calmed it with its warmth and familiarity.

"Hadrian." he called. "Come on, little one, wake up. Hadrian…"

Teary green eyes opened slowly and Loki swept aside dark strands of sweaty hair with the utmost care.

"Daddy."

The child flung himself at him and the god wrapped his arms securely around him, pressing his small head closer to his chest with a gentle hand. The muffled sounds of his crying tore at his cold heart and he leant down to kiss the crown of his little one's head.

"It's alright, little one. It was just a nightmare. Everything is alright now."

Slowly, painstakingly so, the little Prince's crying trailed off until it stopped. Loki's arms around him loosened, but he didn't completely let go.

"Tell me about it." asked Loki gently as he had done every time he had had a nightmare.

The small black-haired child trembled as he sniffed and burrowed more into his arms. Loki petted his head slowly. How he wished he could just erase all his suffering even if it meant taking it into himself.

"I thought… I thought I was… back in Earth," he cried. "that you were angry with me and had left me there. You said you didn't… want me anymore… and you left me… I-I-I'm sorry, daddy, I'm sorry! I'll be good, I promise! I-I'll be good!"

Loki felt his heart clench in his chest and pressed the child tighter to his body. He didn't want his child to see the tears coursing down his own face.

"No, Hadrian, no. There's nothing for you to be sorry about." his breath hitched painfully as he tried to contain his pain. "I would never leave you, my child, my little one. Never. I would suffer a thousand deaths before I allowed anyone to take you from me."

A shiver wracked the small body in his arms and the half Jötun suddenly started to struggle, trying in vain to get free.

"No, daddy! No! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Calm down, Hadrian." soothed the man. "I would never let anyone get you or hurt you, I would fight them with all my strength, but I promise that I will also do everything in my power to make sure that I never leave you."

"I promise I will be good, daddy."

Loki shook his head sadly and discretely wiped his tears away before leaning back and bringing Hadrian's chin up to look him in the eye.

"You do not understand, do you, my son?" the little Prince looked confused, his eyes red and his face covered in tears. "I do not want you to be good." Hadrian's eyes opened wide, unbelieving of what he had just heard. "I'm your father, Hadrian, and I love you. I want you to have anything you wish for; I want you to be anything you wish. If you wanted to see the world burn or if you wanted the stars themselves to worship you, I would still love you as much as if you wanted to be a warrior or a scholar and I would help you achieve it to the best of my abilities."

"But- but they said… they said bad boys didn't deserve to be loved."

"Didn't we already agree that whatever those animals did or said was wrong?" whispered Loki with a small soft smile he reserved for his son; his hand reached out to clean the fresh tears spilling from the child's eyes. "Besides, you are not bad, far from it. And as I've told you, I would love you no matter what. You could be the worst being in the whole universe and I would still love you more than anything. You are my son, my little Prince, the light of my life, Hadrian, and I will love you till the end of time."

Speechless and exhausted, the child blinked at him once, twice, and thrice, before a timid and tired smile spread across his lips and he leaned forward into his chest.

With a sigh, Loki put a hand on the back of his chest and kissed his head before laying him sown on the soft bed.

"Sleep, Hadrian, and remember they can never hurt you anymore."

"Daddy, can I… can I sleep with you?"

Without more prompting, the man picked his son up and carried him into his own chambers where he opened the bed and settled him carefully. Tucking the child in, as he had been doing every night, he released a low laugh at the sight of him half-buried in blankets with his black hair sticking up in every direction.

"Sleep, Hadrian. No nightmare shall disturb your rest."

XXX

The sun seemed to crawl at a snail's pace from behind the mountains for the sleepless God of Magic. He had been restless and spent the night watching over his son, making sure he didn't have anymore nightmares.

Breakfast time rolled around and Hadrian didn't seem about to wake up anytime soon. Although he didn't want to wake him, Loki ended up having to do just that or risk them missing breakfast entirely because of the meeting with the envoys from Jötunheim.

The God had helped him get dressed and picked him up to bring him to the breakfast-hall when he sleepily got too close to walking into the door.

However, all that tiredness disappeared once he saw Thor sitting at the table for breakfast.

"Uncle Thor!"

A bright grin lit up the blonde's face at his cry and the Asgardian Prince stood to greet them.

"Nephew!" saluted the man taking him from Loki's arms to envelope him in a careful hug, mindful of the child's fragility.

"When did you come back? What did you do on Earth? Did you see Tony? And the others? How are they?"

Thor let out a booming laugh at all his questions and ruffled his hair as his father took him back.

"Slow down, little one." chuckled Loki. "Your uncle already has enough trouble answering one question; let's not make it more difficult on him."

Hadrian blushed slightly whilst Thor huffed at his brother's jab at his intelligence, but the blonde Prince did not retaliate and took it good-naturedly. Their parents did not miss that.

"Come on, you big oaf. You can answer Hadrian as we have breakfast." Said Loki settling the child on a chair and taking a seat next to him. "If, that is, doing both things isn't too much for you."

"Oh, Loki, the Hulk sends greetings. He said he can't wait to smash things around with you."

Loki hid a shiver and looked at his smugly grinning brother with distaste.

"Always so violent, brother. Anyone would believe you grew up in the wilderness."

Hadrian looked between both adults with confusion, but he was relieved to notice he wasn't the only one. Of all the people in the room, only the brothers seemed to understand what they were talking about.

"Boys, let's have at least breakfast in peace." scolded Frigga.

Loki simply rolled his eyes and piled some food on their plates, but his son's attention was still on his brother.

"Uncle Thor? Did you see Tony and the other Avengers?"

"Oh, indeed I did! My comrades send their regards and miss your presence in the tower." that brought a small smile to the child's lips. "They are all in good health, although the Man of Iron complains about being bored lately."

"I miss them too." muttered Hadrian. "Will we visit them soon, daddy?"

"It's been less than a week to us since we left." replied Loki with amusement.

"To us?" picked up the perceptive child.

"Time passes differently in Asgard. Magic allows Asgard's King to control how much time passes in comparison with the other Realms. In the case of Midgard, time goes slower in Asgard." explained Loki patiently.

"Yes, I believe it has been a couple months in Midgard since you left." confirmed Thor.

"Oh… but we will still visit them, won't we, daddy?" pleaded Hadrian with wide eyes.

"If that is your wish." sighed the God, always ready to provide anything his son wanted.

"I almost forgot. The Man of Iron gave me these for you." said Thor pushing a stack of books that had been resting next to him on the table towards his nephew.

"Tony sent them?" Hadrian leaned over them and moved them to read the titles. "They're books on mechanics!" exclaimed excitedly when he saw them. "Look, daddy, this way I can keep learning what Tony was teaching me!"

"I see." nodded Loki feeling grudgingly grateful for the millionaire's thoughtfulness. "It was kind of him."

Hadrian beamed at him before looking longingly at the books.

"You can read them later, alright?"

The child nodded and finally tuck into his breakfast under his father's watchful gaze.

"That reminds me… did you go over everything you needed to yesterday, mother?" asked Loki.

"Yes, dear; I have the perfect tutors in mind, it is just a matter of contacting them now." answered Frigga. "I must admit I found myself surprised at how advanced Hadrian is, although now that I think back on it maybe I shouldn't have. You were always a bright child and your son always took after you."

As Hadrian blushed at the praise, Loki grinned proudly and thought back on Stark's ―a veritable genius― surprise at his son's intelligence. Yes, his son was smart, probably more than anyone realised.

XXX

As the King of Asgard greeted and exchanged pleasantries with the recently arrived King of Jötunheim, Loki ignored the glares sent his way by some of the other Jötuns and squeezed comfortingly his son's shoulder.

"Is this him?" asked King Helblindi finally looking at Hadrian and totally ignoring Loki's very existence.

It was no wonder, though, since Loki had been the one that had killed his father Laufey, almost destroyed their planet and killed a great many Jötuns in the process, including apparently his older brother and said brother's son and heir. Not that he thought the Jötun was all that angry about the last as he had been fast to seize the crown for himself.

"This is young Hadrian Lokison, Prince of Asgard and Jötunheim." smoothly presented the All-Father.

The child looked back at him, curiosity prominent between the many emotions warring to prevail in his face. Unexpectedly, the instinctive fear of Asgardian children towards Jötuns was absent, even if nobody could tell whether it was because of his father's presence and protection or the knowledge of his own heritage.

Helblindi inspected him from head to feet with a keen gaze and Loki tightened his grip on his shoulder, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by the Frost Giants.

"He doesn't look like much." grunted one of them.

"Must take after his runt of a father." mocked another.

"A father that managed to almost wipe your race out of existence." silkily countered the God of Magic.

As the Ice Giants tensed and the two who had mocked them bared their teeth in a silent snarl, the Jötun King signalled for silence, his eyes not having moved from the child.

"Jötunheim will back Asgard in the protection of the young Prince. However, as it is given under his status as a Prince to my kingdom, there are certain conditions." his gaze was hard and unforgiven as his voice. "Conditions that are not negotiable."

Odin narrowed his eyes at him, a gesture that Loki unknowingly mirrored.

"What would those conditions be?"

"The child will be fostered in Jötunheim periodically, allowing him to learn our ways and traditions and fulfilling his duty as a Prince."

"Over my dead body." snarled Loki placing himself between Hadrian and the rest of the room.

"It will be a pleasure." threw back one of the Ice Giants jumping forward.

A command from both Kings halted the fight before it even begun.

"You cannot be even contemplating such a thing!" protested Loki glaring at the All-Father. "I will not allow my son to be placed in their grasp and get hurt for my own cri-"

"Silence, Loki." ordered Odin.

The God opened his mouth to protest further, but a small hand tug on his sleeve and, when he looked down, it was to find his son looking at him in worry. The man bent down and picked the child up before straightening and glaring out at the Jötuns.

"Father, my brother is right. The Jötuns-"

"I said silence, Thor!"

The blond gritted his teeth, but stood down and allowed his mother to place a hand on his arm. She tried to look cold and unaffected, but her eyes betrayed her worry to those that really knew her.

"My sons, however hot-headed, do pose a good point." continued Odin. "How can we be sure of my grandson's safety, Helblindi? Our past interactions have led to less than desirable outcomes."

Helblindi nodded, already aware of it. He turned his gaze from Hadrian and onto the All-Father.

"I do not wish for war; it would bring nothing but death and I have had enough of that. Jötunheim is not ready to face a new war against Asgard." some Jötuns hissed at what was basically an admission of their current weakness. "He is also a Prince of Jötunheim, my only Heir currently and a member of my household. He shall not be harmed under my protection. However," he continued before anyone could protest. "I would allow two Asgardian guards to come with him if necessary and I'm sure your watchdog could bring him back in the blink of an eye if he thought there was danger to him."

The comment about being Heir to the throne of Jötunheim made Loki frown. Maybe there was more to those whispers of the now King Helblindi being unable to have children than mere rumours.

"How long would he be fostered?" asked Odin.

Loki hissed and tightened his arms around his son. He couldn't believe the old man was really considering this! If he had known the price of Jötunheim's protection… no, he would have done it all over again to make sure Hadrian stayed safe. Maybe he would have looked for some leverage, though.

"Daddy? I don't want to leave you." whispered Hadrian scared of being separated from his father.

"A few weeks every few months, perhaps. We will see after his first visit and the rate at which he learns."

Odin hummed thoughtfully. It was a good opportunity. It would bring both Realms that much closer and give added protection to his grandson. And if Helblindi never had children, Hadrian would be the one to inherit the throne… It would bring them one step closer to unifying both Realms.

"Another meeting will be arranged to discuss the details." finally agreed Odin. "Hadrian is seven; he still has a whole year before he is of an age to be fostered."

"Then, when the time comes, I will be going as Hadrian's protection." firmly demanded Loki.

" _You_ " spat Helblindi finally acknowledging Loki for the first time since his arrival. "will not be allowed to accompany him. After your crimes against Jötunheim, you are not welcome between my people. Any other may be chosen as the young Prince's guard."

Loki growled and stormed from the room, knowing he had no chance of winning this time. It was a good chance, he hated to admit, for his son to receive the whole protection of a Prince of Jötunheim. It did not mean he had to like it in the least.

"There is another matter left." said King Helblindi after his blood-brother exited the room taking the child that had caused such a ruckus with him. "I was told by your warriors that the young Prince was hurt whilst in his… absence. What will be done to punish the offenders?"

Odin fixed his eye on his fellow King and prepared to explain the punishment Loki had chosen on for the Dursleys.

"They are currently being held in the lower dungeons. I will give them over to your custody to do with them as you please, so they may suffer and hunger as they did my grandson, provided that in twenty years they be returned still alive to be executed under Asgardian justice."

The Jötun mulled over the offer for a minute before nodding slowly.

"Agreed. Two Jötuns will come for them in three days' time and bring them to Jötunheim, where they will serve as slaves in the Ice Moors."

Odin nodded once to show his agreement to the terms. It was a good deal. Provided the Jötuns did not go back on their word. But, he supposed, that was what Heimdall was for.

XXX

"Daddy."

"Yes, little one?" asked Loki, his scowl disappearing and his lips turning up into what was almost but not quite a smile at the sight of the fidgeting child sitting with one of Stark's books in his lap.

They were in his chambers after he had spent a good half-an-hour comforting his son with the knowledge that, even though he would eventually have to go to Jötunheim, it wouldn't happen anytime soon and it would only be for a really short time.

Once he had calmed down, the child had been even a little bit excited at the idea of seeing all the wonders Frigga had described for him from Jötunheim.

"Will I be able to bring Alana with me?"

Loki thought of the snake that was surely wrapped in front of his son's room's fireplace and shook his head sadly.

"I do not think so, little Prince. Snakes are cold-blooded creatures and Jötunheim is a cold Realm. She would get sick and she could even die."

"Oh." muttered Hadrian disappointed.

He hated seeing his child look like that so he blamed those feelings for the next words that fell out of his mouth.

"I was thinking perhaps we could go to Midgard for a visit sometime soon." drawled out the God of Magic. "What say you, Hadrian? Would you like that?"

The child's face lit up at the thought and he looked at him with wide eager eyes.

"Could we really? Could we visit Tony and Bruce and Steve, Natasha, Clint and the others?"

Loki laughed at his enthusiasm. The idea, it seemed, was more than welcome.

"Well, I said at breakfast that we would, didn't I? We'll arrange something with your uncle and go for a short visit. We could get you some more clothes and books, if you want."

Hadrian's smile was more than worth putting up with the Avengers for two or three days. And if it also took their minds from the matter of Jötunheim and his blood-brother, well, who was he to complain?


End file.
